Newborn Hearing Screening Success… Patient Care Failure
Akailah Jennings1, Glenn Isaacson1,2
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
The Laryngoscope
|September 30, 2024
Summary
Newborn hearing screening is highly effective in hospitals, but follow-up diagnosis remains a challenge. Socioeconomic factors significantly impact a child's access to timely audiological care for congenital hearing loss.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- A previous study highlighted issues in a hospital's newborn hearing screening program.
- This study re-evaluates the program's efficacy 24 years later.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current effectiveness of a newborn hearing screening program.
- To identify persistent barriers to care and diagnosis for congenital hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of hospital and state databases for screening, referral, and diagnosis rates.
- Interviews with healthcare professionals to identify barriers to care.
- Analysis of follow-up success rates in relation to socioeconomic factors.
Main Results:
- In-hospital screening success rate was 97% in 2022.
- 10% of infants who did not pass initial screening were lost to follow-up.
- Successful follow-up for diagnostic testing was linked to higher median family income.
Conclusions:
- State legislation and improved technology have enhanced initial newborn hearing screening.
- Inadequate outpatient follow-up and healthcare inequities delay diagnosis and habilitation.
- Barriers include transportation, childcare, and insurance status, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
